“It takes a village” is an oft-said saying, but it’s true in Greeneville.
Tanice Doman started the Greeneville Youth Garden, beside the Greeneville Fire Station on North Main Street. The garden is meant to educate The Greeneville Neighborhood Revitalization Zone’s Youth Council and other local youth about food in order to stay healthy and save money.
“Even if they don’t do anything with that knowledge in the future, I want to get them interested,” she said.
Doman meets with the youth on Saturdays. So far, Doman has had eight kids help, and most of them attend regularly. The youth learn gardening skills like transplanting and optimally planting seeds, she said.
What’s in the garden?
Plants in the garden include mint, pumpkins, sunflowers, tomatoes, lettuce, radish, snow peas, squash, roselle (a type of hibiscus), and callaloo (a green). Some plants in the garden, like the mint and the tomatoes, were given to Doman by friends and neighbors, while others, like the lemon balm, were found by Doman growing around the neighborhood.
“It shows them they can get this stuff anywhere,” Doman said.
The Greeneville Fire Station provides the water, and the property owner next to the fire station provided the land. Nancy Proko of the Greeneville Neighborhood Revitalization Zone donated the planters and a friend of Dolman’s painted them, she said.
“It’s been a real community effort,” Doman said.
Some of the plants, including the callaloo and certain types of pumpkin, come from the Caribbean, but can be grown in Greeneville when the weather is good. It’s important to include these culturally significant foods in the garden because it proves that these plants can be grown in Norwich, and “It makes you feel connected to home,” Doman said.
“You can buy callaloo in other places, but it’s nice to have it here,” she said.
Despite starting the garden in late July, which is late in the season, Doman and the youth have already harvested tomatoes, lettuce, and other vegetables from the garden. So far, the veggies have been shared among Doman and the kids, but once more food grows in the garden, they will donate it to the St. Vincent de Paul Place, Doman said.
Doman plans on continuing the garden next year. If anyone would like to learn more or get their children involved, Doman can be reached at tdomannorwich@gmail.com.
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